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A Unified Approach to Analysis of Body Condition in Green Toads

Diversity 2022 9 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Lukas Landler, Stephan Burgstaller, Magdalena Spießberger, András Horvath, András Horvath, Zhivko Zhelev, Ivelin A. Mollov, Ulrich Sinsch, Johannes Nepita, Johannes Nepita, Florian Schwabel, Florian Schwabel, Wolfgang Kühn, Wolfgang Kühn, Christian Köbele, Christian Köbele, Heinz Sedlmeier, Heinz Sedlmeier, Cornelia Amon, Joanna Mazgajska, Joanna Mazgajska, Tomasz D. Mazgajski, Amir Sistani, Amir Sistani, Rieke Schluckebier, Rieke Schluckebier, Eberhard Andrä, Eberhard Andrä, Moritz Ott, Moritz Ott, Günter Gollmann

Summary

Researchers assembled body condition data from 17 European green toad (Bufotes viridis) populations to standardize the Scaled Mass Index (SMI), deriving a universal scaling coefficient of 3 and demonstrating that population-specific versus universal exponents yield equivalent results, facilitating consistent cross-population monitoring.

Body condition is increasingly used to assess the status of populations and as a proxy for individual fitness. A common, quick and non-invasive approach is to estimate condition from the relation between body length and mass. Among the methods developed for this purpose, the Scaled Mass Index (SMI) appears best suited for comparisons among populations. We assembled data from 17 populations of European green toads (Bufotes viridis) with the aim of devising a standard formula applicable for monitoring this species. The mean value of the exponents describing length-mass allometry in these samples was 3.0047. Hence, we propose using 3 as a scaling coefficient for calculating the SMI in green toads. From the contrast of SMI values for both sexes within populations, estimated with either the population-specific or the standard coefficient, we conclude that applying the standard formula not only facilitates comparisons among populations but may also help to avoid misinterpretation of variation within populations.

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